Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio claims World’s fastest SUV title

Just ahead of its U.S. launch, the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio has claimed the title of world’s fastest production SUV, setting a new benchmark lap time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio lapped the track in a record 7 minutes 51.7 seconds. This new benchmark time is a full eight seconds faster than the previous production SUV record.

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio record was established by Fabio Francia, the same Alfa Romeo driver who also set the track record for the fastest four-door sedan in the world on the Nürburgring with the Giulia Quadrifoglio in a time of just 7 minutes 32 seconds.

“We specifically engineered and designed the Stelvio Quadrifoglio to set world-class benchmarks and it did not disappoint with a world-record Nürburgring lap time of 7 minutes and 51.7 seconds,” said Reid Bigland, Head of Alfa Romeo. “We’re proud to now hold two Nürburgring lap time records with the Giulia Quadrifoglio as the fastest four-door production sedan and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio as the fastest production SUV.”

Infused with Italian passion, craftsmanship and innovation, the New Alfa Romeo Stelvio is designed to conquer the winding road for which it is named.

The heart and soul of this ultra-high-performance SUV is an all-aluminum, direct-injection, 2.9-liter 24-valve twin-turbo intercooled V-6 engine, delivering a best-in-class 505 horsepower and 600 Nm (443 lb.-ft.) of torque, and a standard Q4 all-wheel-drive system.

In addition to best-in-class horsepower, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio features segment-leading V-6 torque and the most horsepower per liter in its class. Designed to optimize the all-new lightweight Alfa Romeo architecture, the all-aluminum 2.9-liter V-6 twin-turbo engine features a compact 90-degree layout and was holistically designed for a low center of gravity within the chassis. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio also features a class-exclusive carbon fiber driveshaft and the most direct steering available.